Google Summer Of Code 2016

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ickby
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Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by ickby »

Hello,

It's GSOC time again, the 2016 iteration starts with mentoring organization submissions on 8th february. I think I will have quite some time this year to become a mentor, and would like to do this very much (mentoring a student here at work too). So my proposal is to apply for a slot at GSOC 2016 with freecad. Maybe the BRLCAD/LibreCAD guys are applying again too, so it may be a good idea going into contact with them. Of course I'm not a main developper, so this is me inquerying if it is ok to do so and to go the GSOC route. I would handle the formal work, applications and stuff. Of course if others want to mentor too, please join in :)

I do have a few ideas on which I like to have a student working, the two main ones are connected to the new part design. I provide a short Idea here, if we go for GSOC I create a wiki page with more details:

1. Advance freecad test system: Provide functionality to do a file-based result comparision, for example allow to store a file with the expected document object structure together with the test case and provide a function to compare the test result with this expected structure. Multiple such comparators are possible and will make writing complex tests much easier. Also handling input files for tests and all the file storing could be automated. (I like this for the new part design as I recently noticed that the whole complexity of the workbench is very hard to handle, fixing one thing may break annother which worked few months back... we need to create more unit-tests.)

2. Topological Naming: With the new Part Design we further stress the freecad linking system, it is time to handle those more gracefully. I do have a few Ideas how to handle links in a mixed way, using occ's topological naming as well as a comparison approach. A student could at least start with implementation and provide the framework for us to finally handle chaning links.

yorik, Werner, Juergen, would this be ok with you?
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by wmayer »

It's totally OK for me.
we need to create more unit-tests
Quite right!
Topological Naming: With the new Part Design we further stress the freecad linking system, it is time to handle those more gracefully. I do have a few Ideas how to handle links in a mixed way, using occ's topological naming as well as a comparison approach. A student could at least start with implementation and provide the framework for us to finally handle chaning links.
That would be awesome because this is one of the major incapabilities in FreeCAD right now.

AFAIK Jan Rheinländer once wrote some code to improve topological naming. What happened to this code? is it part of the new part design module or got this code lost somewhere?
ickby
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by ickby »

It's totally OK for me.
nice :)
AFAIK Jan Rheinländer once wrote some code to improve topological naming. What happened to this code? is it part of the new part design module or got this code lost somewhere?
It is still in a seperate branch and most likely unmergable due to the massive changes done since. But I think we can still use it as a reference and maybe copy some things over.
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by jmaustpc »

ickby wrote:It is still in a seperate branch and most likely unmergable due to the massive changes done since. But I think we can still use it as a reference and maybe copy some things over.
Hi guys
Sounds like a good idea, ickby.

This is a link to the topic where Jan posted his topological naming work it was way back on 25 Oct 2013
viewtopic.php?t=4608&start=10

this is a link to the github address within that topic
https://github.com/jrheinlaender/FreeCA ... naminglite

Unfortunately it seems to have been a while since Jan has been around, ... I hope Jan is OK, I wonder if he just lost motivation due to how long Assembly and PartDesign next, have been in the wilderness?
ickby wrote: Maybe the BRLCAD/LibreCAD guys are applying again too, so it may be a good idea going into contact with them.

That sounds like a good "opensource" attitude :-) is there something that all three could benefit from? Wouldn't the code (and possibly even the licences?) would be too different?

Jim
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yorik
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by yorik »

Cool, totally agree too! It's time we try GSOC.
I guess we only waited for you to step in and do it ickby ;)
I can try monitoring someone too, although we have the risk that the student knows more than the monitor :)
ickby
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by ickby »

nice :) I created a wiki page for the beginning, we could fill it with ideas step by step: http://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.php?title=GSoC2016
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by triplus »

Sounds good but i do have one remark to make. I am not 100% sure on how this program works but confronting a student with implementing topological naming in FreeCAD might sound a bit to much. This is something "senior" FreeCAD developers likely can't do over extended periods of time?

;)

It is true the student can try and likely fail or some theoretical implementation is explored that might or might not end up useful. How about confronting the student with the task that can actually be achieved (with a lot of hard (and fun) work) during the program duration?
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yorik
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by yorik »

triplus wrote: It is true the student can try and likely fail or some theoretical implementation is explored that might or might not end up useful. How about confronting the student with the task that can actually be achieved (with a lot of hard (and fun) work) during the program duration?
Maybe a bit of both...
ickby
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by ickby »

I talked to the guys over at BRLCAD and they will most likely start a joint effort with librecad/openscad/stepcode/linuxcnc again, same like last year. I think it is highly valuable to join them, for one because the reduced work on our side, the benefit of haing experianced people on board and then also to be part of a larger opensource CAE group. I will be in their gsoc mailing list, yorik I think it will be good if you join too (I PM you with the details).

As a new organisation at gsoc we will be limited to 1-2 students, however, as we are two mentors only this will be not an issue. Next steps are to fill the wiki site with project ideas, I will research the formal requirements for projects and put them on the wiki within the next days.
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yorik
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Re: Google Summer Of Code 2016

Post by yorik »

Great! I also think it's good to enter with them, at least the first time(s). I'll also add some ideas on the wiki.
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